I emailed Ray, this is what I sent to him.
Ray,
I gotta tell you, you really missed the boat with this article. Just
how you came up with your choices of "classics" not to be reproduced
is beyond me. I'm not going to suggest any of the vehicles should be
reproduced or brought back as retro but, they all had some pretty
basic concepts behind them and most of them had some very good points.
I supposed you have to write something to get paid and I realize that
the article was your opinion but wow, you really blew it with this
one. That would be my opinion.
Ron
His response: How'd I blow it? Specifically.
Ray
My answer:
Ray,
My first issue is that you called these cars classics, in my opinion
and apparently, in the opinion of quite a few of the readers that have
responded, classics is not a term that applies. But, in the order you
brought them up in the article.
Pontiac Fiero: "Sure, DeLorean's designs may look great in stainless
steel and with a flux capacitor in the back seat, but on a smaller
scale, in painted plastic cladding, the Fiero looked like the epitome
of budget. But it wasn't just the exterior that came penny-pinched.he
Fiero borrowed liberally from the parts bins of other GM economy cars
such as the Pontiac Phoenix, the Chevy Citation and even the lowly
Chevette. The Fiero may have received a resurgence in interest later
in life. Why? Because the plastic body panels afforded tasteless Fiero
aficionados the ability to rebody the car into all manner of exotic
look-alikes-yuck."
The styling of the Pontiac Fiero is still pleasing to the eye of many,
it's plastic or rust free body is greatly appreciated by all that own
them. You fail to mention that the Fiero had a great crash rating for
the time period it was built and, you also failed to say that all of
the Big Three share as many parts between models as possible. bean
counters aside, that's simply using common sense. Then, you make a
point to insult "tasteless Fiero aficionados", I don't know any
numbers and I'm not a real fan of look alikes or clones but, the fact
that the body panels are easily removed on a Fiero and the actual
chassis is a good platform for other modifications is not in my opinion
a bad thing. In today's economy a niche car similar to the Fiero
might sell well though, it's limitation of two seats is a problem.
Dodge Colt: The first generations were great front-engine,
rear-wheel-driven compacts. They were even capable enough to compete
in international rally competitions. When Chrysler hit its financial
downturn at the end of the 1970s, the Colt moved to the
front-wheel-drive Mitsubishi Mirage platform, and that spunky little
compact became a malaise-era econobox.
If I remember correctly, the industry was moving to front wheel drive.
Was the move due to it's manufacturer's economic woes, quite possibly
but, at that time everyone seemed to want front wheel drive. I wasn't
one of them but, it was still the trend. The Colt offered affordable
transportation for families. It had room enough for four fairly
comfortably and got pretty good mileage. Didn't we just go through a
fuel crisis? The front wheel transition could have also been one of
those situations where using parts from the bin was a good cost
savings move on the manufacturer's part. I would suggest that a
similar model might do well in today's economy if quality were similar
and compete with foreign brand names.
Grand AM: The original Grand Am was Pontiac's answer to European
luxury sport sedans, and with its big all-V8 engine
lineup,........Unfortunately, rising fuel prices forced the Grand Am
to be discontinued first in 1975, and then again in 1980 after a short
two-year run. It probably should have stayed dead. Instead, Pontiac
brought back the Grand Am badge in 1985 on their version of a GM
platform shared with the Oldsmobile and Buick brands.
European luxury sport sedans and others were big in the market but
also took some hits. For some reason Americans think foreign is
exotic, I can only believe that articles such as this are part of the
problem, don't think I'm blaming you personally, many magazines do the
same thing. Did the rising fuel costs affect any other brands
competing in this niche market? Again, sharing parts seems to be an
issue here. Have you ever tried designing, producing and marketing?
Doesn't appear that you have. While I would agree that much of the
excitement of American built cars has been missing for several years.
Chrysler's Cordoba: Not really sure what the issue was with this car,
you didn't seem to dislike it in your comments and yet, listed it as
one that should not be brought back. The Cordoba is probably the one
that I found most unappealing but, I still admit that Chrysler has a
following and produced the car for again, a niche market. I
personally don't care for the styling but apparently, many did.
Ford's Probe: Some say it's because the styling was too modern. I
happen to believe that no car should ever be named after an invasive
medical procedure. And that's why the Probe sits atop this list.
While I somewhat agree with you on the naming of the car, from all
reports I've heard, it was stylish, fairly economical and fit right
into a niche market that did in fact sell. My understanding is that
there were quality problems, just as most vehicles were experiencing
at the time but, I still believe that offering such a platform again
today could provide Americans with a viable alternative to many of the
foreign brands being offered if quality was equal.
On the whole, it appears to me that you had an idea for the article
and had to come up with a few names to list. Your reasoning for
picking each candidate was at best weak. This is just my opinion but,
after reading the replies I'm seeing on the Internet, I'd suggest your
article didn't please quite a few Pontiac Fiero "aficionados".
My disclaimer on this is I'm not exactly neutral, I own several Fieros
and though I'm not really upset with the article, the article shows me
that you may not know some of the vehicles well enough to be
commenting about them.
The Big Three tend to believe (probably correctly) that they need to
have a brand identifier, Chevrolet has the Corvette and is bringing
back the Camaro, Ford has the Mustang and the F150, Dodge has the
Viper and the Ram, yet, if some of these cars were not the name
recognition models for the companys (of which, has actively sought by
each), then, I would suggest that each one could have qualified for
your list.
Just my opinion, not worth much but, thought I'd share it.
Ron
I believe he will respond and if so, I'll let you know what and how he responds.
Ron
[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 11-26-2008).]
But, I still don't think he knows much about the Fiero, I think he was getting on board with many of his fellow writers.
He is most likely a hard nosed bicylclist or subway rider. Write him again and find out. Let us know...
